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So, Im still working on making connections for my website; which venues to use and how to best be able to connect with people who want to chat, take classes and buy my art. I dont know why technology seems to offer so many venues and yet be so hard to decipher as to which ones would work best. That’s me, a techno-phobe with good intentions. LOL At least I know my weaknesses and am not afraid to laugh at them.

Im trying my best to set up networks that will help me stay connected with you, my dear readers. We live in a temporal plane and time is what connects and separates us.

People of pre-historic times stayed connected to the cycles of life by keeping track of the cycles of the moon. Modern Pagans celebrate the ‘turning of the wheel of the year’ every six weeks~ with holidays based on the solstices, equinoxes and mid-points in between~ as well as moon cycles. The old church calendar had special names for each Sunday of the year. It was this way that people stayed aware of the cycles in life, as a macrocosm, much as the daily and weekly cycles mark our time today.

Things change incrementally and changes appear small, but over time, those small changes add up to larger developments in our lives. If we can learn to appreciate that we are making the best choices, with the information that we have, moment to moment, then we can appreciate the larger changes that come over time. By living intentionally, with self-discipline of a regular spiritual practice (whatever it may be) we create milestones that mark the paths of our lives. This is how we can create a life that best serves our needs and adds to the collective good. This is how we connect our Selves to our lives.

When we spend time every day connecting with the Earth, and ourselves as parts of the whole, it keeps us ‘on track’ as to our place in time, and out of time, as eternal beings. I find a few moments a day to connect with the universe by going outside in the evening and standing in the grass, as I watch the clouds scramble past the moon in its phases. I contemplate where I stand in all my relationships and how I might take steps the next day, to move forward and add value to others’ lives through kindness and compassion. Its in this prayerful connection to the whole that I connect to the deepest part of my self and to each of you – and all that is.

Good evening, I am finishing the Chakra series with the highest chakra, most often referred to as the Crown Chakra- which is located at the topmost point of the head.

This area is sacred to many cultures worldwide; turbans, caps and veils are all used to keep the crown chakra covered, especially while in sacred spaces. Many cultures believe that infants should have their heads covered until special ceremonies are held which introduce them to the community after they are blessed. These traditions hark back to times when the power of the chakras was universally respected.

The crown chakra connects our souls to higher vibrational levels, and to God itself. No wonder so many cultures still revere the crown as holy!

As we’ve learned from previous posts about the chakras, the Kundalini energy is stored in the lower chakras and when awakened by meditation, intent and occasionally by accidental shock, the native’s energy runs up one side of the spine and down the other, through channels known as Ida and Pingala. This natural energy is called ‘chi’ by some cultures and allows the highest functioning of the human spirit body within its physical body.

During a deep meditation, one can allow the spirit energy to move up and out through the crown chakra in order to find oneness with higher realms in the Universe. The crown, and possibly the whole head, may begin to tingle and open as this energy is raised. By allowing one’s energy to raise up and out of one’s being, you can communicate with lighter realms of energy, receive messages, and become renewed. The feeling is like standing under a very gentle, warm shower or like being massaged with a wire scalp tingler. It is restful and renewing… and difficult to describe, as each person’s experience is unique to themselves.

It is important to remember to close this chakra back down when awakening to everyday reality and ground yourself. This may be helped by replacing your head covering, touching your head or even standing under an actual shower.

Bending and touching the head to the ground, or just placing the hands and knees on the ground while picturing the extra energy running back into your body, then out of your body from the lower chakras and back into the Earth, while breathing slowly and deliberately, will help you regain your normal energy level and feel ‘grounded’.

Many books are written that tell you about how to open up your mystical third eye chakra ~so many, in fact, that it seems this is the chakra that most people come to learn about the rest of them through.I believe that the goal of our life experience is to awaken to the reality that is ‘reality‘. It is much more than what we can see and experience through the body alone.
~Once in an awakened state, we can begin to manifest the miraculous!~

Ever since I was about five years old I had an burning desire to “Know” the inner-workings behind this life- I want to Know what it is all about, Alfie.
Imagine how excited I was when I realized that the squiggly lines on the newspaper my parents read each morning MEANT something- that ideas could be conveyed just by understanding what the combination of symbols meant. I discovered that people could exchange secrets through a process called ‘reading’!

This is the same kind of excitement I feel about metaphysical discovery!
There are Universal laws at work here- but not everyone is aware of them. Many don’t care- they’re too busy trying to outmaneuver their competitors in order to get enough for themselves or stock up on ‘more’ so that their future will be more secure than their present.
These motivators are learned behaviors that originate in fear- fears of basic survival and negative relationship; the two lowest chakras that we’ve already discussed.

As a person grows spiritually, the lessons of the lower chakras become clear and once a certain level of proficiency is reached, the lessons of the higher chakras may be entertained.
So far in this blog, I’ve covered the first five chakras from the base to the throat.

The sixth chakra is located in the forehead just between the eyebrows.
It is a place of intention and receptivity. You can think of it as a two-way video camera aimed from your spirit into the wider world, capable of receiving subconscious input 24/7.
It’s true, we receive much more data than our conscious mind can process. Our rational mind filters out the myriad of information to just the 10% that we believe is important and useful.

My theory on ADD is that some people are being born into the world today with their receptors set on wide angle…and that more of the input is received by their conscious minds than the rest of us. Because they live in ‘our’ society, we make it difficult for them to adjust to our limited view and speed.

The best way to become aware of your third eye and awaken it is to spend time with your other two eyes closed in meditation. The daily practice of slowing down and listening to your body, then mind, then spirit, is very beneficial to all parts of your being.

When I meditate I notice a distinct buzzing feeling in my third eye. Coming to a point of ‘no mind’ I find thoughts and sensations emptying out and the volume of the outside world is turned down, while the inner volume turns itself up. It is very loving and kind to your Self to quiet and center your being this way. It doesn’t have to take very much time, in fact, the more I do it, the shorter the interval comes between the time I begin and the time I find the still center. It is truly the pause that refreshes!

The third eye is a special chakra that we, as a species, are just beginning to understand…and I think it is a very valuable secret to fathom. If thoughts become things, then we must be careful to think the very best ones….and reach them from a state of calm, ego-lessness~ the state of the third-eye temple.
We can access the akashic realms of cosmic consciousness, and tap into all knowledge, even the mind of god, through our third eye~ but we have to be pure of intention, quiet of mind and hold a true, heartfelt desire to connect, in order for our third eye to open.

Once you know all that you don’t know, you realize that you have taken the first step on the path of wisdom. May your path be smooth and your trust in yourself great!
Namaste’ seekers~

The only thing we can control is the MEANING we give the events of our lives~
So they’ve changed up Blogger- now I have to figure it out all over again.
Does that mean Ive been getting complacent about my life:
expecting it to have some semblance of ‘normality’??
…and just when I thot it was safe to go back in the water~
Life is CHANGE. I get it!I spend last weekend in the wonderfully beautiful Republic of Boulder, Colorado at an Enneagram conference. The point was to gather with like minded people in a safe environment to look at the unconscious programming that ‘runs’ our lives- when we are not awake and aware.

I do quite a bit of introspection/meditation as it is, so this was familiar ground. But what I came away with is the distinct feeling that I am, and can be (at any time) an ‘observer’ of my life. I’m not quite sure if I *like* this head space. It is new for me to ‘live’ here…as I normally live from my heart space, the normal place of Enneagram type #4s.

What a type #4 does is to cling to emotion, of all kinds, and use their vivid imaginations to enlarge them- making life MORE; more deeply felt and experienced in every moment. There are drawbacks.
Like living in everyday world, getting things accomplished- I mean “How can I do laundry when I am experiencing such sorrow– or bliss?” Or “How can I paint and dance when there is so much pain in the world, that could use some comforting?”~: )

I suppose I can now rationalize it by telling myself that those who would be comforted could also appreciate my efforts on a wider scale…that art, poetry and performance are just as worthy and helpful as a kind word or a hand held? [I’ll tell myself that, but probably won’t be a good listener] ; )
A type #4 tends to be a people person, and goes to #2 ‘nurturing’ type behavior when pushed; serving and supporting others while forgetting self…and how many days have I gone without eating because I was wrapped up in others dramas? [that’s a rhetorical question, stop counting!]
Earth to Genie; the reason you are out of your body is that you forgot breakfast and its now dinnertime! 😛 Uff da!

Being in the ‘neutral observer’ mode allows each of us, of every Enneagram type, to rise above our normal programming and make better choices, based on logic and reason, without over-thinking, re-acting or over-feeling things first. It allows us to be more spontaneous and ‘light’; not taking everything so seriously. To step OUT of our trance and create our lives on a higher plane.
When we can detach from emotionality or reactivity or thinking things in circles, we change the PERCEPTION of reality. Which is really all we can change, at the core of things.
This is a magickal truth. We don’t have to be jarred into this state by crisis, accident or illness—we can chose to wake up and make enlightened choices at any time. All we have to know is that it is POSSIBLE!
When we put things into a perspective that just ‘sits better’ with our souls our entire life becomes new.

We can be born anew each day- with each new awakening! [so take lots of naps] : )I wish for you my friend, the ability to fly~
to ponder your hearts’ desires and make your dreams come true…
by experiencing this lightness of being!
Dream it, see it, feel it, make your petitions and then allow Source to provide.
In Peace and Lightness and All Good Things~
Namaste’
~”Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly”~

The fifth chakra is located at the throat and is considered to be the vehicle of self-expression or self-repression. The color associated with it is blue, the color long connected to wisdom.
[Mother Mary’s robes and Hindi Deities’ skin are pictured as blue, ie]
The thyroid, which is a butterfly shaped organ located in the throat, is how this chakra’s energy ties into the body. The connection between the throat, the endocrine system, metabolism and one’s vital spirit (chi) are all interconnected on an energetic level through the Throat Chakra.

So if, during your early years, of birth to age 7, you were programmed with messages like “Children are to be seen and not heard” you could internalize this to affect your patterns of speech, and repress your thought processes about your ability to express yourself. This could cause a blockage in your throat chakra – and possibly set you up for low thyroid issues down the road. Health issues related to low thyroid include depression, sluggishness, and weight gain, to name a few.
If on the other hand, you reacted to your subconscious programming by resisting or fighting back, you could go the other direction, and become someone very outspoken, with a fiery temperament and suffer from hyper-thyroid issues such as inflammation, weight loss, and foot-in-mouth disease.
These are my hypothesis, of course, but all things being related via the mind/body connection and the power of subconscious programming are becoming recognized by modern psychiatry.

The best way to address Throat chakra issues, IMO, are to come at it from both directions; from the head, via introspective shadow work- which clears the subconscious programming of youth, using awareness and proactive measures which address these messages…..
and to come at it from the Heart- via self love and compassion.
That makes the Throat chakra central to both the Head and the Heart.

Practical steps could include singing lessons, performing on stage, taking debate or public speaking classes, finding supportive groups where you feel comfortable speaking up and being listened to, assertiveness training courses or just talking with friends…especially in person.
Recording yourself reading, or speaking in a stream of consciousness mode, then listening to it as it plays back, could give your subconscious a nudge and build self-esteem via this confidence.
Everyone deserves to be heard and validated. Learning to listen to yourself with love and compassion, instead of beating yourself up for how you present your ideas, comes from hearing and believing your own heart.

Great charitable causes need idealistic cheerleaders, speakers, writers and promoters, but people also need to learn when to sit back and learn to be tactful, in order to allow ‘quieter’ people to share their stories. Silent retreats and meditation are good ways for extroverts to learn to listen to their own internal dialogue and discover a peaceful balance within. Then they can use this internal calm in social situations….which I feel is the point of discovering anything about yourself; how to better interact with this experience called “Life”.

The Throat chakra is where we connect with others, where we demonstrate our opinions and state our case. Humans are the only animals who have developed a spoken language—-but we have yet to demonstrate our collective wisdom to use it for the good of all.

Knowing when to speak up and when to stay silent is a great wisdom that will take you far in life.
One of my favorite quotes by Craig Ferguson, which just shows how wise he really is, is this:
“Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me? Does this need to be said by me, now?”
It’s something to contemplate often~
Namaste’

The Heart Chakra is located midway between chakras, located just behind the sternum and is typically seen as either pink or green. Pink, the color of love and happiness, and green for growth.
The Heart chakra is where Spirit connects with us and through us. It has been called by many cultures, the seat of the soul.
This chakra is a place of balance and power and healing. Just as the lower three chakras govern our overall physical existence, and the upper three deal more with our mind, this central meeting place at the heart is where the chakras converge with Spirit! It is the essential link.The heart is where you can take anything and transform it through the power of compassion.
I am a strong believer that love heals all things! There must only be a willingness to receive it and enough persistence and conviction in sending it. Some would call this Faith.
Allowing emotions to sit within the walls of the heart while understanding their ephemeral nature, allows the heart to become the fiery furnace where transformation takes place;Anger can become impetus for you to take righteousness action, but must be tempered by the balance of grace and discretion, after the fire has faded.Sadness can afford you to forgive yourself and others with compassion for the human condition and bring you peace.
The frustration of confusion and doubt can be held with compassion until they pass, leaving you with a sense of calm and inner strength.
And Pain, both emotional and physical, can be transformed and healed through the loving energy expressed from your heart – to your self.

The Heart is where the Mind/Body/Soul connection is made. Cellular healing occurs by the power of the will, acting in directed compassion. This is how the practice of Reiki works. The practitioner envisions and sends loving energy out of their palms and connecting to the body of the client. This happens by the directed will and is not limited by any distance. The practitioner senses and sends healing energy through their body, as a channel from Source [God] to another, by picturing their client in perfect condition; spiritually, physically and emotionally.

Dr Masaru Emoto describes in his book, “The Secret Life of Water” an amazing phenomena, where ice crystals formed from water that had been influenced by people speaking kind or hurtful words are later seen under a powerful microscope. The crystals embued with loving thoughts and words formed spectacularly beautiful shapes. The crystals, however, embued with hateful energies, formed irregular and distorted shapes. Since our bodies are mostly water, it would do us well to remember that thoughts and words DO have a great impact on our well-being! [Therefore choose wisely what energies you surround yourself with!]

A simple healing practice can be learned with patience and practice.
Even a 3 minute meditation like this one can bring about great improvements at the cellular level;
While breathing slowly, with eyes closed, focus on the still “I AM” indwelling presence of Spirit that is ‘you’. Know that this is your eternal essence. Know that you are a Spirit within a physical vessel, a temple of the Soul that has regenerative powers and can restore itself to perfect working order.
Breathe in deeply *relaxation*, Breathe out pain. Breathe in *energy*, breathe out tension. Breathe in *vitality*, breathe out illness, breathe in LOVE, sense and feel it in every cell! -then breathe out Love to the rest of the world, so that all sentient beings may share in the love you are raising~
(To begin with, you may want to choose only one of these words to focus on.
As you become more adept you will discover what works best for you.)
Continue to breathe deeply. As you have any outside thoughts/ideas come into your mind, notice them as a thought, and dismiss them. Return to focusing on your breath.
You will quickly learn to move into a deeply relaxed state with less effort each time.
And will find your meditation times may lengthen~ along with the beneficial results!
When you have finished with meditation, slowly open your eyes and reorient yourself with your surroundings. Put both hands on opposite arms and hold yourself until you feel yourself settled.
Finishing with a glass of water and a few slow body movements will help you reorient. #

You can also practice another Heart chakra exercise whenever you are feeling run down.
It brings you an invigorated sense of calm~Visualize your heart as the center of the universe through this exercise;
Close your eyes, go inward and sense the “I AM” that is your essence. Move this consciousness from where ever it is felt, to just behind the sternum. Take a few slow, deep breaths to feel ‘centered’ there.Now visualize opening the top of your head to receive energy from the starry realms. Feel the God-energy coursing through you and down into the Earth through the souls of your feet.
Picture that energy flowing all the way down, into the earth’s hot, molten core, connecting your atoms to every other atom. Then gather some of that ‘heat’ and bring it back up into your self.Feel the heat warm your entire body…allow your heart energy expand so large that it becomes a glowing green energy field radiating from you.Raise your arms and allow that warm energy of the cosmic force of love emanate from your heart along your arms as a horizontal axis…and extend to the ends of the horizon. Allow that energy to flow out into the cosmos again…as you become the center of it all!Then slowly pull the energy back from the horizon…back from the stars above and the Earth below.
Gather that energy into your Heart and condense it. This can be your power pack. A small dynamic point of energy that will continue to power you through your day. #

Gratitude and Peace,
Compassion and Healing all lie within the Chakra of the Heart.
Be grateful for this knowledge and don’t hide your love away!
Namaste’

Mini blog:
With Mercury, Mars, and Saturn retrograde now, it’s a good time to review and evaluate, especially in terms of relationships, commitment, and why we’re here. Learning to live with uncertainty is what retrograde planets encourage us to do; the more comfortable we are with uncertainty, the more grounded we can become in our daily lives as we learn to live ‘in the flow’….as we take time to relinquish control and become dispassionate observers of reality.
It CERTAINLY is not comfortable, but stretching our comfort zone allows us to grow and shed old skins that no longer serve our best interests.
Mercury goes direct April 4, Mars April 14, Saturn June 25 so plan to re-start communications, actions and manifestation on those dates.

Oh, and enjoy your Spring Equinox this Tuesday, March 20 when new hopes and dreams spring up everywhere. This week will most likely offer the opportunity to see the world with new eyes!
Namaste’

The second chakra, or sacral chakra is located in the lower trunk and is pictured as orange. The third chakra, or solar chakra, is located in the central trunk and is pictured as yellow. (see diagram of Mar 2, 2012)

Both of these chakras deal with our relationships with others. They could be described as our ‘comfort zone’. The place where we make our ‘home base’ or create the nest for the self to return to. It is where we describe our selves, find our id and ego; our unconscious and conscious selves, and where most of our pre-programmed ‘stories’ are acted out from. They are the halls of our self-worth. Our baggage-claim areas where the scoundrels, fear of rejection and the anxiety of exclusion loiter.
These two chakras house our basic need of belonging.
Of course, we are social animals and one of our basic needs is to find belonging in our family, our tribe, our collective group – but comfortable as those groups are, we must grow in order to identify ourselves in unique ways and to understand each other as individual personalities. In order to belong, we must learn to relate.

The second chakra is where we ‘come from’ when connecting intimately with others and also is where we put up walls against the fear of commitment through repressed indifference or callousness. On the positive side, it is where empathy and understanding are derived, where flirtation and sex appeal, creativity and expressions of uncensored bliss dwell. The second chakra is where we demonstrate our wish to be loved and to reach out in connection happens from.
We’re all afraid of being hurt or rejected- if we’re feeling overly defensive, as well as assertive, we may try to hurt others just so they won’t hurt us first, or we build walls to keep our vulnerabilities safe. It’s only human to do so. But it takes maturity and courage to keep these walls short in order to open up, peek over and connect with our neighbors, knowing that hurt can only happen if we perceive ourselves to be destructable.

The key to finding balance here is detachment.
We need to discover self-acceptance and self-love rather than find our self defined as a reflection of others’ opinions of ourselves. Love ourselves enough to be brave enough to walk alone sometimes.

Venusian qualities of having a need to be seen and understood are met through interpersonal contact-
we come to define our needs vs our wants, trust, and honesty through cooperation.Mercurial qualities of self-expression and validation…rather than repression to conform or define self as a role to be played, and our personal authenticity are found in acceptance by another.
Creativity and artistic expression and sensuality are expressed through our second chakra. When energy is spent on one, the other tends to suffer. Finding a balance creates ebb and flow, give and take.

Relationships require a bit of discernment because those who you choose to associate with tend to become your friends, and act as mirrors of our bad behaviors, teachers of higher behaviors. They help us to see and identify our blind spots, and work through them.
Do the others you spend your time with ‘feed’ you? Serve to your positive growth? Or do they tear you down? Make you feel smaller? Vex, annoy or bore you to the point of ruining your attitude?
Your own Sun’s energy, vitality and power needs to be able to shine!
Choose who you spend your life with wisely. It will influence your outcomes more than you realize.

The third chakra is where we exert our personal power.
Power over/power with is the key phrase of the Solar chakra, our Ego’s home.

We suffer the imbalances between feeling inferior, victimized, persecuted or full of self-hate OR on the other hand, have over-inflated egos, are self-centereed, or over-confident.Self determination and self control come through being a non-judgmental observer of the ego and its workings. Growth comes only once we can step out of our comfort zones! Take leaps of faith. Surrender your fate to forces you cannot control. Release the anxiety, fear of the future and lack of control. Believe you will survive even as you step off the prescribed path and onto your own.

As the power of kundalini rises along our spine these energies manifest as creativity, self-expression, confidence, personal power, ethical morality and right behaviors. Its where we find the energy to network with others and persist until the job is done.
Namaste’ grasshoppers

I mentioned the basics of the chakras a few posts back and thought I’d start a series of posts in more depth concerning the energetics of the chakra system. It is an ancient esoteric belief about the energies in the body from India. Chinese medicine and Western acupuncture use this system and have developed it into a healing art form as well. (refer back to March 2, 2012)

The energy of Kundalini in the body is first triggered at the lowest part of the body and rises, like a coiled serpent up along the spine. If our chakras are open we can sense a feeling of natural ease and energy flowing through us. Children naturally have this energy – its why they are so happy and energetic! As we age, we learn life lessons, which can fill our souls/minds/bodies with junk from sorrow and regret and negative programming that interfers with this flow. As we age, we slow down as our root chakras close.
With awareness, and introspective work, we can learn to dissolve the blocks in our chakras and allow our energy to circulate better again. Mindfulness can be our ‘anti-plaque’ remedy for our Chi— our native life-force energy. We CAN become as little children again.

The root chakra is considered the first of the chakras. Its located at the tailbone, although the energy can also go down through the body, and out the soles of the feet, when you’re standing.
It’s important to be mindful of your connection to the Earth in order to stay ‘grounded’ in everyday reality. If you get up quickly, rush to get dressed and jump into your car, drive to work and begin your day there’s a good chance that you’ll feel light-headed, overwhelmed and certainly not grounded when you get there! Your head will take over and start getting flooded with other people’s concerns. Your head takes over and pounds the rest of your body all day. Sound familiar?

Begin integrating head, heart and body first thing in the morning, in order to feel BALANCED all day! Stay in a heart centered place of power and you won’t be able to be knocked over by other people’s concerns for you! Then YOU can be in charge of your Self and keep your concerns primary in your life. Not selfishly, but for your own survival. Its important to know that you are maintaining your own integrity and coming to the world from the source of centeredness. You can make haste without worry. You can achieve anything better, with more focus and more efficiently, from a place of quiet, internal integrity.

I think it’s important to make time to rise deliberately, be thankful for another day, take a deep breath and contemplate your intention for the day before you get up. When you set your feet down, allow a mindful connection between your soul and Earth, then the rest of the world, to occur.Try to be aware of your feet as you begin your day. Feel your energy rise through your body as you walk, eliminate, eat, have your coffee, and in the shower get in touch with your body, thank it for supporting you and being the miraculous machine that it is! These thoughts can be fleeting, but they will make a world of difference in your outlook each day.

The color associated with the root chakra is red; the color of life, of blood, of energy and vitality. Red is the most widely recognized color of fright and action worldwide. Everyone knows intuitively that the color of blood means business! It is a signal to begin, beware, be bold. Become aware that the energy that fuels your body is not just bioenergetic, from food and oxygen, but metaphysical as well. When thinking of your personal power, envision a happy cherry-red color. Thoughts become things and as you envision yourself filled with the cheerful color red, your native energy will rise.

It is in the root chakra that we sense our basic worldview; either the world is a safe place or it isn’t.
Very simple. We must feel safe and whole in order to function in the world. The degree to which we don’t feel safe will restrict the flow of energy throughout our body/mind/soul. This is a basic sticking point for most people, I believe. We must find ways to affirm our life, our worth, our value and become our own authorities in order to open the root chakra. We must choose love over fear. We must become as little children to live fully; we must learn to TRUST the world, our selves, our choices and one another. I know, it’s a big-ticket item…but we can’t let the seeming enormity of the situation hold us back. This is primary to our emotional and physical health!

One simple exercise is to do this Revitalizationmeditation, wrapped in soft, comfortable clothing or a blanket, with your head covered, and lie down somewhere soft with some pillows for support.You can do this in bed, just before rising although I find the best place is outside in the sunshine on a thick air mattress, after I’ve eaten an apple and had a long, slow, drink of water.Cradle yourself, wrapped like a baby in the womb. Relax and breathe gently and slowly. Allow your breathing to slow. Then close your eyes and picture yourself in a beautiful, natural place…a walled garden, a cave, a fortress on a hill, a sunny forest grove, a cabin near a creek…..anywhere that you feel content and safe.Envision yourself there all alone but surrounded by beautiful flowers, plants, trees and animals that are going about their own business, recognizing you as part of their environment. Be at one with this place. Feel the warmth of the sun, a slight breeze, a fragrant scent that is pleasing and comforting to you. Allow yourself to lie still, relaxing deeply and ALLOW the warmth of the sun, the energy of the Earth, and the air to flow all around you. Bring your attention into your heart, and your trunk, and say the words to yourself “I am safe” repeatedly. Then feel your energy move outward, into your limbs. As you do say to yourself “I am whole” repeatedly. Feel your energy moving about the edges of your body into your aura, your protective shield, and say to yourself, or aloud “I AM”… “I am safe, and whole and loved. I am love itself. I am alive.” and any other affirmations that resonate with you that are directly opposed to any fear you may have. You can dissolve that fear by voicing it’s opposition firmly to yourself often enough until you believe it!
Roll your eyes horizontally, left to right and back again, repeatedly while you speak your affirmations. Touch your hand to the crown of your head and your forehead. Touch your hand to your sternum. Put both hands onto your upper arms and give yourself a hug. This is a self blessing of acceptance and remembering that you are here, safe in your body, and you are holy.Come to believe it and know it in your body – in order to clear blocks in your root chakra.
Then say to yourself, something along these lines; “I am healthy, whole and alive! I will go on today, to the best of my ability, to do what Spirit commands of me~ knowing that all good comes to me. It is my birthright to accept all good things. I accept all good things easily and thankfully and choose to share these things, because the Universe is abundant in its generosity. I will walk in love, strong and whole. And so it shall be.
And so it IS!”
Gently open your eyes. Breathe deeply. Feel your body oxygenated, strengthened and revived.
Then rise and go about your day.
In peace. In Love.
Namaste’

I attended a Womens Spirituality conference yesterday that really recharged my batteries!The highlight dance portion was led by a fantastic presentor, a friend of mine named Valerie, who tells it like it is in a way like no other. Shes the shortest yet most vibrant person I know, and Im always supercharged to be around her! She can fill a large room with her effervescent presence and certainly did so yesterday~ Her craft is combining the love of dance with spirit. She is truly the embodiment of Heart and Soul and I know she would be happy to be compared to a sprite. Thanks Val!~She started the exercise by quoting Nietzsche:“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” She told us to feel the music move through our bodies, either with closed eyes or at least looking at the ceiling and dancing like no one was watching. We were on our honor not to peek at the other people in the room, just have our own physical experience- and shake it out! Shout it out! and express ourselves through movement. ~Wow! It’s so great to be allowed the freedom to play~We first danced out our emotions to the worst scenerio we’d had~ bad interpersonal dynamics, gone physical. There were lots of angry sounds heard over the music, grunts, heavy sighs, groans, and forceful exhalations. As for myself, there was lots of punching and clawing going on. Eventually, after lots of stomping and stabbing motions I started to shrivel and cry. Wow~ it was more powerful than I expected it to be! The point of the exercise was to become aware of where in our bodies we hold negative energy. I could definitely feel mine- and did lots of deep breathing to release it…visualizing the pain as a sensation/color leaving my body. We grounded ourselves by feeling rooted like a tree, branches to the sky and did a chant together.The next dance was our ‘happy dance’, where we danced to experience JOY! This was powerful too, but a lot more fun, of course. There was spinning, twisting, arms reaching gracefully to the sky, happy stepping and turning….and then a pause to feel the happiness located IN our bodies. I could feel this really well too. Then as we slowed our movements down, we continued to dialogue with the feeling in our bodies and each found personal ways to hold that energy, by using a small ‘trigger‘ movement which represented to us, that feeling of joy. Mine is a simple grasping hand motion- its small enough to not be noticed by other people. I can do this anytime I’m stressed to remember that happy feeling, bring my consciousness back to it, and return the positive emotion back into my body, by using this ‘trigger‘. Ive tried it and it really helps bring me back to center. It reminds me that I am bigger than any emotion, and have the power to watch them as they ‘roll on by’… as Cat Stevens would say, “Love is better than a song. And love is where we all belong.” Centered in Love.

Our experiences in life are always affected by our perception. If we are aware that our spirit, our inner core, our soul, is eternal and our emotions and experiences are fleeting, then we can retain the power to chose our perception of every experience- and never fall victim to them! It doesn’t mean that we deny pain, frustration or fear…we just decide to view them from a detached vantage point- as a non-judgmental observer, to try to discover the lessons they hold. Intellectualizing strong emotion is a skill anyone can develop. It is very empowering.

Triggers can help make the transition from the mind to the body! Then we can return to the status-quo of a calm and settled vibration. A safe place from which to make wiser decisions and a healthier place to live: Sit in experience. Acknowledge it with your mind, but let it leave your cells. Negativity causes physical harm to our bodies as well as spirits.

~I highly recommend doing this dance exercise. Forget that you ‘don’t know how to dance’ or feel foolish. Find a time and place you can be alone. Put on your favorite music, the kind that lifts your spirit and start moving however you want. Discover where your joy resides in your body. Hold it. Appreciate it. See if you can build it up using your attention and intention. Then make it smaller and create a tiny movement that can become your ‘happy trigger’. It will be your secret tool to use as you see fit to keep your feet on a path of joy.

May you each be Spirit Scouts toward happiness everyday, and may you find your happy Triggers and happy trails! Namaste’ pardners 😉